Science Confirms That Being ‘Hangry’ is Real, Powerful

Have you ever been so hungry that you feel like a raging lunatic? Turns out, your suspicions have been confirmed.

My name is Jess. And I'm an eater. I think about food constantly. I feel instances of "hanger" from the moment I wake up until the moment I fall asleep every single day.

Are you like me?

Well, then in the words of High School Musical... "We're all in this together!" But seriously. Feeling irritable or angry when you're hungry (more commonly known as feeling "hangry") is not just a figment of your imagination and it's not something someone made up to make you feel bad about always wanting food.

It's truth... confirmed by science.

Of course they call "hangry" by another name, "hunger-driven motivational state competition." Basically this means that your brain exhibits "goal-oriented behavior" when you experience hunger. Your goal is to eat and your brain won't stop until that is accomplished. With this laser-like focus on your goal, everything else seems minimal or better yet, annoying.

Aside from honing in on the goal at hand, your body also starts activating your autonomic nervous system and releasing hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. Remember, we are born to survive and this is the body's way of surviving until food is found. The unfortunate side is that these hormones are also the ones linked to stress.

No wonder you're moody. Your body is stressed. You know how you act when you're stressed. Every little negative thing becomes a huge issue. Instead of brushing things off, you let them throw your whole world out of whack.